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Delete Cookies: New-Age Diet or Common Sense Internet Security?
No, this article isn't about some new, lose-20-pounds-in-a-week, certified-by-some-tan-Southern-California-doctor diet. It's about cookies on your computer - what they are, why they are there, and what to do about them. Computer cookies actually have quite a bit in common with their baked counterparts - some are good, some are bad, and they have expiration dates. Cookies are small text files that a server places onto your hard drive whenever you access a given domain. Cookies typically contain information that the website uses to either customize the page you are viewing or otherwise make your web browsing experience more convenient and enjoyable. The information is stored on your hard drive and accessed whenever you go back to the website that originally gave you the cookie. They usually include an expiration date at which point they will be erased from your computer - it could be when you close your browser; or hours, days, months, or years after it is placed. Some don't expire at all. At the time of this writing I had a cookie stored on my computer that wasn't set to expire until Wednesday, February 25th, 2195 at 3:45:13 am - I deleted it. Before you run out to your browser's options and delete and block all cookies, let me mention a few common uses of cookies: * Cookies store information for 'shopping carts' at online stores. When you select an item and place it in the shopping cart, a cookie is created to remember the item and the price so that you can keep shopping. When you are done shopping you simply click the button to check out and the site accesses the information stored in the cookies to complete your order. * Cookies can be used to remember logins and passwords. While this initially sounds a little disheartening, the purpose is really to save you time. Sites will remember the information for you so you don't have to type it in each time you want to access information. * Cookies help websites customize their content and layout for you. If you are a diehard fan of the local college's basketball team, and you always access the stats and score from the game at a website, that site might use a cookie to send you straight to your team's page. * Cookies help identify whether you have already visited a site. They can also count how many times you have visited the site in a given period of time. * Cookies remember the last page or position you were on at the site. Like a virtual bookmark, this is especially helpful if you are reading online or accessing several pages of information. There are many other ways cookies can be used, and there is obvious potential for abuse. You probably wouldn't eat a cookie given to you by a complete stranger, especially if you didn't know what was in it. The same common-sense principle holds true while you're online, and exercising a little caution can save you from a lot of heartache later on. Blocking any and all cookies will guarantee no personal information is leaked through the cookies, but many sites will either not be able to or will choose not to interact with you. The trick, then, is to let the good cookies through while screening out the bad ones, not at all dissimilar to what you do when you hover over the cookie tray at a party - you take the ones you want and leave the rest behind. This can be accomplished in a few different ways. First, you can periodically delete all the cookies on your hard drive. This will systematically wipe out all unwanted cookies that have made their way to your computer. Unfortunately, it will also take care of all the good cookies too. If you only use the internet occasionally (i.e. a few minutes a week), this option might work for you. Second, you can try to go about it manually. Many browsers that allow you to block cookies also include a feature that allows you to include a list of sites from which you will allow cookies. The advantage of this method is it places virtually complete control over cookies into your hands, allowing only those that you want to be placed on your hard drive. The disadvantage is that it can become very burdensome (at times downright annoying) having to constantly update the list of allowed sites. Third, you can call in some third-party software to help out. The best programs will scan your computer to find all the cookies and put them into a table or list. This saves you the trouble of having to dig around your hard drive to find the files yourself (try looking for a folder named "Cookies"). Many programs will also indicate with some degree of confidence whether a given cookie is wanted or unwanted, and provide a convenient way to delete the ones that you decide you don't want. Nick Smith is a client account specialist with 10x Marketing - More Visitors. More Buyers. More Revenue. For great software to help delete cookies, check out ContentWatch, Inc.
MORE RESOURCES: Ukraine Must Guarantee Its Own Security Foreign Affairs Magazine Dallas County JP judges push for more security at government offices FOX 4 News Dallas-Fort Worth Watch CATO's IT Security Sees Big Growth Bloomberg Top Social Security official exits after clash with Musk’s DOGE over data The Washington Post Remarks at a UN Security Council Open Debate on Practicing Multilateralism, Reforming and Improving Global Governance United States Mission to the United Nations Navy aims to expand maritime security cooperation in latest multinational Middle East exercise DefenseScoop Red Canary Named to CRN's 2025 Security 100 List PR Newswire Young people’s voices are key to securing global peace and security World Economic Forum Expect enhanced security for Jefferson Parish parades FOX 8 Local First Why dismantling the PCLOB and CSRB threatens privacy and national security Brookings Institution CT bill would reduce renters’ security deposits to 1 month’s rent, instead of 2 Connecticut Public WISeKey Unifies AI, Blockchain, and Quantum-Resistant Security to Strengthen Digital Trust The Quantum Insider Saviynt Recognized on CRN’s 2025 Security 100 List Business Wire Introducing enQase for Quantum-Safe Security Dark Reading Exabeam Honored in CRN’s 2025 Security 100 List Business Wire Businesses Are Delaying Upgrades to Physical Security Systems– But the Cloud Can Help BizTech Magazine New York State Police to assist with security at striking correctional facilities WETM - MyTwinTiers.com CMD+CTRL Security Signs CISA Secure by Design Pledge Business Wire Seattle City Council talks security as another shooting highlights the dangers of public transit KIRO Seattle Top Social Security Official Leaves After Musk Team Seeks Data Access The New York Times A Policymaker’s Guide to China’s Technology Security Strategy Information Technology and Innovation Foundation The 20 Coolest Identity Access Management And Data Protection Companies Of 2025: The Security 100 CRN Weeks after Baltimore courthouse shooting, MD legal leaders reflect on courthouse security Maryland Daily Record Ford introduces new features to its security app to prevent theft of F-150 pickups Detroit Free Press Cloud Security Alliance Calls for Reassessment of AI Development in the Face of DeepSeek Debut T.H.E. Journal UAE Launches Next-Gen GPS-Less Navigation and Secure Flight Control to Strengthen Aviation Security Business Wire ID R&D Delivers Industry Leading Liveness Results in U.S. Homeland Security Evaluation of Remote Identity Validation Systems Business Wire Threats to international peace and security - Security Council, 9859th meeting Welcome to the United Nations Social Security Is DOGE's New Target: What You Need to Know Kiplinger's Personal Finance Man indicted on murder charges in killing of security guard at Honduran consulate in Doraville Atlanta News First G7 Foreign Ministers’ Statement on the Margins of the Munich Security Conference Department of State Members of Space Launch Delta 45 Provide Security for President Trump's Second Inauguration SpaceCoastDaily.com Inclusivity, economic woes and security challenge Syria post-Assad Voice of America VIVE 2025 roundup: Conference beefs up security; CAQH finds $20B savings opportunity Fierce healthcare Dream Raises $100M to Strengthen AI-Driven National Security BankInfoSecurity.com Keeper Security Launches Upgraded KeeperPAM IT Security Guru Homeland Security set to move in to flood authority headquarters this fall Wilkes-Barre Citizens Voice Arkansas secretary of state touts election security, calls for changes to ballot initiative process White River Now The Just Security Podcast: What Just Happened Series, Understanding Federal Employee Rights Just Security 5 ways to improve security governance and prevent future illegal mining tragedies from happening The Conversation Indonesia |
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